Sleep longer with more ease.
In this exercise,
I'm going to share a useful technique to sleep longer with more ease and less anxiety or worry.
For many people in the world,
It can be very difficult falling asleep.
Repeating thoughts won't seem to stop.
Memories of what happened that day keep coming up.
Plans,
Fantasies,
And worries about tomorrow continue resurfacing.
Energy in the body keeps you tossing and turning.
All the while,
Frustrations around not sleeping fuel the worry and restless energy in the mind,
Ironically preventing you from feeling relaxed,
Calm,
And peaceful.
This is more common than you may think.
We live in a society filled with expectations,
Pressures,
And stresses.
It's no wonder that our minds are filled with media images,
News stories,
Financial stressors,
Worries about our loved ones.
The list goes on and on.
Hearing me talk about these things probably creates a physical reaction in you of tightness,
Tension,
Or heat.
Can you feel that?
Well,
It's very understandable and very,
Very common that our minds would be filled with one or more of these stressors on a consistent basis,
Preventing us from getting as much rest as we would like.
I get it.
Unfortunately,
There are many ways to address this,
Some of which we cover in this exercise.
Some are covered in other exercises,
So feel free to look around all the tracks I offer.
Some exercises such as getting to know the bodily sensations of worry,
Anxiety,
Pain,
And trauma,
Wherever it feels most predominant without feeding the energy with thoughts.
But there are other methods particularly useful when it's time to sleep and rest.
The rest that is so important for your body and mind to function at its best.
So as you lay down and breathe and close your eyes,
Listen to these tricks and techniques and pay particular attention to any that you might want to try to help you sleep longer and deeper.
First,
Notice the temperature in your bedroom.
Try to adjust the temperature to be around 68 degrees.
That is the ideal temperature for sleeping.
You can do this with fans,
Windows,
Heaters,
Whatever works for you.
If that feels too cold,
Please put on an extra blanket,
Which will not interfere too much with the benefits of having the air around 68 degrees.
Next,
In the hours before going to sleep or taking a nap,
Try to avoid upsetting music,
Worrying news reports,
Or anything that tends to trigger your mind into worry,
Stress,
Or discomfort.
It's important to sleep in a room that is as dark as possible without any TV,
Tablets,
Or mobile screens around,
Indicating to your eyes and your brain that it's time for rest.
Then when you lay down,
Try to lay flat on your back if that's comfortable for you and keep your legs uncrossed.
See if you can start to feel the sheets and the bed underneath you.
Feel the weight of your body pressing against the fabric of the cloth of the bed.
What does that feel like?
Notice the felt sensations of the body lying down.
Take some deep breaths,
Softening and relaxing the body as you notice what it feels like simply to be lying down,
Allowing yourself to simply be there,
Enjoying the relaxation and rest that you're offering your tired,
Weary mind and body.
Then,
It's important to enjoy noticing the sensations of the body,
Consciously releasing any tightness or tension from each body part to the next.
Noticing and releasing,
Noticing and releasing,
All with the sense of calm,
Curious kindness,
Gifting yourself the spaciousness and embodiment that you so deserve.
You continue doing this throughout your body,
Wrapping it up with an exercise of wishing yourself and others a genuine sense of care and a lightly held wish for peaceful sleep,
Sweet dreams and a refreshed body.
It's really quite simple.
Let's try it together now.
You can position yourself lying down,
Adjusting yourself to be oh so comfortable with your pillows and your bedding,
Just noticing how you feel.
Are you more relaxed now than you were when we began?
More at ease,
More peaceful?
Taking deep,
Long breaths,
Noticing if your mind wanders and using that gentle kindness for yourself to come back to the sensations of the body under the blankets,
On the pillows,
Feeling the sensation on your fingertips and your toes.
Try using this technique each night so that you'll get better and better at learning how to prepare the body for a full night's rest.
It also might benefit you to think about what you're eating right before bed,
Trying not to eat two to three hours before bed and having foods that sit with you well.
Using this practice may not work a hundred percent of the time,
But the more you try,
The more you practice,
The more noticing and feeling and relaxing and planning that you do before bed.
You might begin to notice that if you bring a genuine sense of care and some effort to soften the sensations in the body,
You'll gradually taste the fruits of reducing worry,
Anxiety and stress,
All the while increasing calm,
Relaxation and a sense of embodied ease.
And remember,
It's perfectly normal and understandable to feel frustrated by a mind that is filled with stress.
It's common and it makes sense,
Given everything on our plate.
But just remembering to try to sleep in a dark room that's around 68 degrees without screens around and trying not to eat too close to bed.
And then when you lie down,
Feel the bed,
Feel your weight,
Feeling areas of tightness or tension in the body and continually soften and loosen different areas of the body.
As you breathe naturally and calmly.
I hope that these tips and this exercise will be useful for you.
Thank you so much for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time,
Sweet dreams.
